Written by Jacob Freedman

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3 Keys for GEORGIA

1. Run the ball to maintain offensive balance

The Gamecocks are 6th best in the nation in points allowed at just 11.2 points per game. They haven’t faced a balanced offense like the Bulldogs’ yet though, and Georgia head coach Mark Richt needs to take advantage.

We all expected Aaron Murray to produce through the air, but the biggest revelation this year has been the freshmen duo at running back. Todd Gurley is a bruising back that elicits comparisons to former Alabama star Trent Richardson. He leads the SEC in rushing at just over 105 yards per game. Gurley is also averaging a ridiculous 7.9 yards per carry. Fellow freshman Keith Marshall is no slouch either averaging 8.2 yards per rush, including 10 rushes for 164 yards and two touchdowns last week in the Bulldogs’ 51-44 victory over Tennessee.

What was thought to be a weak position heading into the season has turned into a strength for the Bulldogs. If the running game can approach its average of 250 yards, then the Georgia offense will be near-impossible to stop.

2. Stop the South Carolina ground game

South Carolina star Marcus Lattimore hasn’t looked as explosive as he did freshman year pre-injury, but he still has that bruising toughness to give opposing front sevens nightmares. Gamecocks quarterback Connor Shaw is also a threat, averaging over five yards per rush so far in 2012.

The Georgia rush defense is the worst of any SEC school in the AP Top 25, and allowed an unacceptable 197 yards rushing to Tennessee last week. AccuScore projections have the Bulldogs allowing the Gamecocks run for over 170 yards.

Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones is being talked about as number one pick in next April’s NFL draft, and the Bulldogs need him to reaffirm that chatter by hanging out in the South Carolina backfield. Fellow linebacker Alec Ogletree returned from suspension last week with a team leading 14 tackles. The Bulldogs have the talent clog the middle of the field and force Steve Spurrier to drastically adjust his play-calling. Saturday is Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s time to shine. He and his players hope they make the most of it.

3. Replace receiver Michael Bennett

Bennett, Georgia’s leading receiver, is out for the season after tearing his ACL. He did not have elite speed or size, but he always seemed to get the ball and make plays one way or another.

Richt announced this week that Malcolm Mitchell is moving back to receiver full-time after the sophomore split time between offense and defense. The Bulldogs run a wide receiver-by-committee system to give Murray a variety of targets across the field. Mitchell doesn’t need to have a big game Saturday, but one of the wideouts will need to step in and try to fill the void left by Bennett to ensure the Georgia passing game continues to click.

3 Keys for South Carolina

1. Make Georgia multitask on defense

Let’s face it; no one is really good as they think they are at multitasking, football included. This is why Connor Shaw needs to establish the Gamecocks passing game early and often in order to keep the Bulldogs defense guessing throughout the game. Shaw doesn’t have a favorite target as no receiver on the team has more than 16 receptions this season.

It doesn’t matter whom he passes to, Shaw just needs to be unafraid to air the ball out against an impressively talented Bulldog secondary. Running back Marcus Lattimore will be the primary focus of the Bulldogs defense, which means establishing the passing game will work wonders in making the Gamecocks offense unpredictable and keeping Georgia on its toes throughout.

2. Unleash Jadeveon Clowney

If you haven’t heard of the Gamecocks’ all-world defensive end yet, you’re not following college football closely enough. One of the rare top recruits whose play exceeds his massive hype, Clowney is second in the SEC with 9.5 tackles for loss and third in the conference with 5.5 sacks.

South Carolina’s “rabbit defense” is a formation defensive line coach Brad Lawing calls on occasion, which puts only defensive ends on the defensive line in order to blitz the opposing quarterback. In this package, Clowney will team with fellow speed end Devin Taylor to attack Aaron Murray from either side. If Clowney is double-teamed, that will just free up another defensive end in the package to attack the backfield. Defensive line is South Carolina’s strongest unit on the defense so look for Spurrier and his coaches to get crafty in order to utilize the boatload of talent in the front four.

3. Keep riding the momentum

Don’t look now, but the Gamecocks are on a nine-game winning streak, second best in the nation behind TCU. After struggling in the first half last week, the Gamecocks blasted Kentucky 24-0 in the second to cruise to a 38-17 victory.

Last year in their fifth game, the previously undefeated Gamecocks fell at home to an unranked Auburn team. Both Lattimore and then quarterback Stephen Garcia struggled mightily in the 16-13 shocker.

Georgia is a much better team that last year’s Auburn squad so the Gamecocks need to play up to their level of competition instead of waiting a half before turning on the offense. Coach Spurrier has taken the South Carolina program to new heights, and hopefully for him the players will realize how a win in this game can do more for the program that simply taking over first place in the SEC East.

Prediction

Unlike many primetime SEC matchups, neither of these teams’ offenses were lost in the Dark Ages. South Carolina will struggle against a team that can beat them on the ground AND through the ai, so look for Georgia to cover the one-point spread and pull off a season-defining road win at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Georgia 31, South Carolina 26
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